In the field of oenology, acetic acid bacteria have received
little attention (3, 4, 6). This lack of interest may be
explained by the fact that these bacteria are strictly aerobic,
and consequently they were considered unable to grow in
wines except at wine surfaces in permanent contact with air.
In recent years, wineries in the Bordeaux region have
become concerned about the small increases in the levels of
acetic acid sometimes encountered during the storage of
wine in wooden barrels. This has provided the basis of the
present investigation.
The application of new techniques has facilitated the
selective isolation of acetic acid bacteria (8). In this work,
th. evolution of such populations is described, both in
number and nature, from the grape to the wine in storage. A
relationship betweeh the bacterial growth and the formation
of acetic acid in the wine at different pH and temperature
conditions is established.